''Crassula capitella,'' (red flames, red pagoda or campfire plant) is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

succulent plant In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meanin ...

native to southern Africa.

Description

Crassula capitella thyrsiflora flowers - Robertson - Copy

An extremely variable species. The narrow, pointed, splayed ("propeller-like") leaves are initially a light green, but become a strong reddish colour in the sun. The leaves are stacked, and near the base of the rosette they are larger. Near the top of a rosette, the leaves gradually get smaller and change into floral bracts, as the stem forms a long, pointed inflorescence. It is a small, succulent herb (15–40 cm in height) - with stems that are either erect or rambling and mat-forming. Each stem forms roots at its internodes, which take root if the stem lies against the ground. ''C.capitella'' is mostly biennial, blooming in the summer, with small, white, star-shaped flowers forming all around each thick, upright stem. It grows to a height of about 6 inches tall, and will be damaged when exposed to temperatures below .San Marcos Growers: ''Crassula capitella'' Campfire (Campfire Crassula)
. accessed 5.7.2013

Cultivation

''Crassula capitella'' prefer full sun to partial shade, with average watering needs, and it should not be exposed to temperatures below . It may suffer from foliage edema, which may be the result of rapid changes in moisture.

Distribution

''Crassula capitella'' is native to southern Africa; it is found in

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

, Free State,

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

, and in some parts of southern

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

and

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Subspecies

*''Crassula capitella'' subsp. ''capitella'': biennial basal rosette with smooth (hairless) stems and unbranched spike inflorescence. Found in Free State,

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

, and

Ladismith Ladismith is a town and agricultural centre in the western Karoo, Little Karoo region of South Africa's Western Cape province. Geography It is situated adjacent to a series of fertile, irrigated valleys, at an elevation of 550 m above sea l ...

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. *''Crassula capitella'' subsp. ''enantiophylla'' *''Crassula capitella'' subsp. ''meyeri'': a decumbent subspecies from the sandy coastline of

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

. *''Crassula capitella'' subsp. ''nodulosa'': a perennial green shrub with one or two rosettes on hairy stems, with scattered reddish blotches and vertical flower spikes. Found in

, South Africa, and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

, in grassland habitats with scattered, gravelly slopes or ''kopje'' formations (inselbergs). *''Crassula capitella'' subsp. ''sessilicymula'': a perennial shrub (40 cm) with a woody trunk and branched inflorescence. Found in

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

and

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

(South Africa). *''Crassula capitella'' subsp. ''thyrsiflora'': a low perennial shrub with multiple pinkish-red rosettes that become stacked in a 'pagoda'-like form (vars. 'Pagoda Village', 'Red Pagoda', 'Red Shark Tooth'), with an unbranched spike inflorescence. From the Western Cape. *''Crassula capitella'' subsp. ''corymbulosa'': synonymous with ''C. capitella'' ssp. ''thyrsiflora'', it is essentially an all-green form of the species. This form may sunburn easily in exposed, sunny locations and prefers dappled shade or bright indirect light to look its best. Often marketed as ''Crassula corymbulosa'' 'Shark Tooth' or 'Green Shark Tooth'.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2714691

capitella ''Capitella'' is a polychaete worm genus in the family Capitellidae. Species * '' Capitella aberranta'' * ''Capitella capitata Capitella capitata is a polychaete worm that grows up to 10 cm in length. It is often blood-red in colour. ...

Plants described in 1778 Flora of South Africa Garden plants of Southern Africa